Opinion
FTC decide dismisses antitrust grievance towards Altria, JUUL
A Philip Morris Marlboro model cigarette burns in an ashtray for this organized {photograph} in Tiskilwa, Illinois, on Wednesday, July 12, 2017.
Daniel Acker | Bloomberg | Getty Photographs
A decide on the U.S. Federal Commerce Fee has dismissed a grievance that the company filed geared toward requiring Marlboro maker Altria Group to promote a minority funding in JUUL, Altria mentioned in a launch on Tuesday.
The FTC filed a lawsuit in April 2020, saying Altria’s choice to purchase a 35% stake in JUUL, introduced in December 2018, was dangerous for competitors. The FTC mentioned that the 2 firms had been rivals available in the market for closed-system e-cigarettes however that Altria opted to exit and put money into JUUL.
The decide’s choice could also be reviewed by the FTC.
Murray Garnick, Altria government vp, mentioned the corporate was “happy with this choice and have mentioned all alongside that our minority funding in JUUL doesn’t hurt competitors and doesn’t violate the antitrust legal guidelines.”
The FTC declined to remark.
